


Bed Sheets and Blow Jobs

by nightwalker



Category: Avengers (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Avengers, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, relationship drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-26
Updated: 2014-04-26
Packaged: 2018-01-20 22:04:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1527341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightwalker/pseuds/nightwalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve isn’t great at communicating his intent. Tony is really great at jumping to the wrong conclusions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bed Sheets and Blow Jobs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brandnewfashion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandnewfashion/gifts).
  * Translation into 日本語 available: [ベッドシーツとブロウジョブ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7484895) by [nightwalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightwalker/pseuds/nightwalker), [QT_qt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QT_qt/pseuds/QT_qt)
  * Translation into 中文 available: [Bed Sheets and Blow Jobs\床单与口活 原作：nightwalker](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7999423) by [alienswest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alienswest/pseuds/alienswest)



> Look, I'm so, so sorry about the title. 
> 
> Thanks to captainshellhead for editing!

It wasn’t actually all that unusual for Tony to be up and around early in the morning. Sometimes he was awake because he hadn’t been to sleep yet. Sometimes he’d dragged himself out of bed to attend to SI business and he would breeze through the kitchen in a suit and tie, his phone in one hand a travel mug of coffee in the other.

The best mornings though were the ones where Steve kissed him awake while the sun was still a dark pink glow on the horizon and they made their way to the kitchen together, bumping hips and shoulders while Tony made coffee and Steve scrambled eggs.

This morning was one of the better ones.

Steve stole another kiss as he set a plate of eggs and fried tomatoes with buttered toast in front of Tony. “Tony, listen. I was thinking we should-” The timer on the microwave went off just as Tony’s cell phone rang. “Hold that thought.”

The pot of oatmeal was bubbling along nicely, and Steve lowered the heat while Tony yawned a sleepy greeting to Pepper. The kitchen was starting to smell of cinnamon and apples and the bold Ethiopian roast Tony preferred that week. It wouldn’t be long before their team started making their way downstairs.

Tony tossed his phone onto the table. “Bacon?” he asked hopefully.

Steve shook his head as he reached for the last sesame bagel. “None in the freezer. We need to do a grocery run. Look I wanted to talk to you. There’s something I’ve been thinking about-”

“Coffee,” Peter Parker said in a gravelly whine as he staggered into the kitchen in pajama pants and a hoodie.

Steve rolled his eyes as Tony clutched his own mug closer to his chest. “There’s plenty of coffee, Peter. Grab a seat.” He fixed a mug the way Peter liked it, then set a bowl of oatmeal in front of his teammate.

“You were thinking?” Tony asked. He was still clutching his coffee and he looked like he was bracing for bad news. Probably worried Steve was trying to get him to start going along on his runs in the morning again.

“We’ll talk later,” Steve said. He kissed Tony quickly, then again a little slower, licking butter off his lips. “Yum.”

Tony hummed into the kiss, then pulled away and held up his mug for a refill.

The rest of their team began staggering in. The pot of oatmeal steadily emptied and a second pot of coffee had to be brewed while Carol sulked and Tony gloated.

“I need to go shopping today,” Steve remarked while waiting for his bagel to toast. “Does anyone want me to pick up anything while I’m out?” He looked up to find himself on the receiving end of several intense stares. “To Sears,” he said warily. “I’m going to Sears.”

Jan and both Jesses immediately lost interest in anything he was doing. Tony blinked at him over his cup of coffee, his eyes still soft and his hair tousled from sleep. “What do you need at Sears?” he asked. “What do they even have at Sears? We have a washing machine already.”

The urge to smile fondly at the man was impossible to resist. “They sell other things at Sears, Tony.” Steve reached over Peter, who was using his knife to draw spider-web patterns in his oatmeal, and grabbed the almond butter. “They have housewares, clothing-” He ignored the appalled face his lover was making at the very idea, “- lingerie -”

“Why, _Steven_ ,” Tony said, lowering his eyelashes and peering up at him in a coy fashion. It should have looked completely put upon from a man wearing borrowed sweatpants that were two sizes too big and drinking out of an over-sized mug that proclaimed that scientists did it in theory, but Steve could feel his throat getting tight. “You should have told me. I could take you somewhere _much_ nicer than Sears.”

“Lingerie for _other people_ ,” Steve said firmly, because if he so much as hesitated, he just knew Tony’d have him in one of those stores for adults-only with leather… things and edible clothing and a hundred different types of handcuffs. And while he wasn’t in any way opposed to the idea of taking Tony to one of those stores and seeing what new experience Tony decided to introduce him to, he also knew that there was pretty much a one hundred percent chance that there would be no fewer than a dozen paparazzi snapping their pictures as soon as they left the store and they’d have to live through a solid week of articles proclaiming one or the other of them to be a kinky sex fiend.

Most of those stores had websites though, if Steve wasn’t mistaken.

“Now I’m picturing you in star-spangled garters,” Jan said, eyeing Steve appraisingly. “With stockings to match. And high heels.”

Tony was evidently picturing the same thing if the thoughtful way his eyes drifted up and down Steve’s legs was any indication.

“I’m not shopping for lingerie today,” Steve said. He leaned against the counter and rolled his hips a bit, just for the way Tony’s lips curved up in a thoughtful little smile. “I just need some new sheets.”

“Sheets?” Tony echoed. The vaguely glazed look in his eyes was slowly being replaced by what Steve felt was a totally unnecessary amount of distaste. “Sheets from Sears? I cannot even imagine what the thread count on those might be.”

“You don’t need to imagine it, because they’re not for you,” Steve said.

Tony arched one eyebrow at him. “Buying sheets for someone else’s bed, Steven? Should I be scandalized?”

Steve laughed around a mouthful of bagel. “As if I could scandalize you.”

“I’m scandalized,” Peter said. He yawned into his fist as he dragged his spoon through his rapidly cooling oatmeal. “Does that count?”

“You’d have to be awake to be scandalized,” Jan said nudging Peter with her shoulder. “Tony, I notice Steve is avoiding the issue of whose bed, exactly, he is buying sheets for.”

“Mine,” Steve said. He caught the frown Tony aimed at him. “No, _mine_. My bed. In my quarters. I need new sheets for my bed in my quarters.”

“Oh,” Tony said, kind of nonplussed. “Well, I want it on record that I refuse to subject myself to whatever Sears is passing off as cotton these days.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Not to worry, Tony. You’ll never even see them, much less sleep on them.”

Tony frowned at his coffee. “How… reassuring.”

The funny thing was, he didn’t sound like he meant it.

****

Tony ended up going along, claiming terminal boredom and a lack of anything more important to do. If the way his cell phone kept going off was any indication, Pepper apparently disagreed with this assessment, but Steve was used to that.

“What did you want to talk about?” Tony asked as he lingered by the bathroom door. He was dressed already, having stolen the first shower while Steve was putting away breakfast. It appeared he was committed to playing hooky for the day, wearing jeans and a button up over a worn AC/DC shirt that had seen better days.

“It can wait.” Steve ran a hand through his hair, finger-combing a particularly stubborn cowlick into submission. “I want to go ahead and get these errands run – you don’t mind if we do the grocery run on the way back, do you? It’s Jan’s turn, but she’s got that designer meeting this afternoon and I had plans for dinner so I’d rather just get it out of the way.”

“No, groceries are fine.” Tony hooked his thumbs through the loops on his jeans. “But it’s eight-thirty in the morning, Steve, I don’t know that we’re all that pressed for time.”

“By the time we get there it’ll be nine and they’ll be open.” Steve paused in the doorway to kiss Tony’s mouth. “And we can run our errands, and get everything taken care of, and then we can come home and I can have you for lunch.”

“Lunch is overrated,” Tony said. “And so far away. You know what doesn’t get enough credit? Brunch. Brunch needs more love.” He slipped his fingers underneath Steve’s towel and brushed against his dick. “Doesn’t brunch sound awesome?”

“You,” Steve said fiercely as he stole another kiss. His fingers fumbled a little as he unzipped Tony’s jeans and he almost tripped over his towel as he moved toward the bed, “are going,” another kiss, this time a rough clash of teeth and lips as Tony surged up to meet him halfway, “to make,” he shoved Tony’s jeans down past his hips, “me fat.” He pushed Tony backwards onto the bed where his lover lay sprawled, hair mussed and eyes bright with his cock already flushed and curving up to his belly.

“I’ll help you work it off,” Tony said and Steve practically dove to his knees at the side of the bed.

He grabbed Tony’s pants and pulled them down to his knees with one rough jerk, then dragged Tony down until his hips were only barely resting on the side of the bed. “Fuck,” Tony said cheerfully. “Manhandle me a little more, why don’t you?”

“Later,” Steve promised. He licked at the head of Tony’s dick and practically salivated when it twitched. “In the meantime, I believe you promised me brunch.” He wrapped his fist around the base of Tony’s cock, then leaned in and swallowed him down.

“I- oh, shit. Oh fuck.” Tony thrust up and Steve let him, sucking hard at the hot shaft as it slid past his lips. “Jesus.”

Steve pinched Tony’s hip.

“Yes, yes, _sorry_ , just. Fuck, Steve.”

He worked his hands under Tony’s hips so he could grip Tony’s ass and pull him closer. Tony whimpered as he swallowed and Steve suckled in reward as Tony stopped himself from thrusting again. The sounds his lover was making were needy and breathless. Steve would never admit it out loud but the fact that he could make Tony fall apart so fast was a source of personal pride.

Steve hummed, just to watch Tony writhe on the bed. God, he loved that he could do that.

He shifted one hand underneath Tony until he could slide his fingers into the cleft of Tony’s ass and brush his fingers over the sensitive skin there. Tony whined, his thighs tense with the effort not to move, and his cock was throbbing on Steve’s tongue, precome dribbling from the slit and filling Steve’s mouth with musk and salt. He swallowed and stroked his fingers over the opening of Tony’s body as his lover nearly sobbed his name.

“Steve,” Tony panted, wild-eyed and chest heaving. “Fuck me. Fuck me, I want-”

Steve pulled back, letting Tony’s dick slip from between his lips. “No,” he said. He mouthed at the base of it, suckling slightly at the thick vein that ran the length of it. He pressed his tongue to it and could feel Tony’s pulse beating in ever-quickening time. “You promised me brunch,” he said. “I want it.”

Tony’s hands tangled in his hair, and his fingers stroked Steve’s scalp. “Anything,” he said. “You can – anything-” he sputtered to a stop as Steve wrapped his tongue around the head of his dick, and his hands stilled briefly. “Oh god.”

The muscles in Tony’s stomach and thighs were tense, his breath was coming in short hard pants. He was close, Steve could feel it in the way his dick twitched against Steve’s mouth, the way his hands shook as he stroked Steve’s hair. Sometimes Steve thought that the intimacy of knowing someone that well was almost better than the sex itself.

He suckled lazily as he wriggled one hand free and wrapped it back around the base of Tony’s dick, squeezing just enough to make Tony howl. Then he stroked his other fingers down the cleft of Tony’s ass and pushed a finger inside of him.

Tony screamed, hips bucking off the bed as he came and Steve held him still until he was done, swallowing him down. He sucked at the sensitive flesh while Tony whimpered above him, then licked him clean while he shook and twitched with the aftershocks.

Steve pressed a kiss against the soft skin of Tony’s inner thigh, another against the base of his cock. “Very nice,” he said as he slid his finger out of Tony’s body. He pressed a kiss to Tony’s stomach as he carefully pulled Tony’s boxers and jeans back up, patting gently at his groin as he dressed him. “You’re right, brunch was exactly what I needed.”

“Come here. Come-” Tony was gasping for air, but he still managed to gesture imperiously. “Come here, Steve. I swear to god, if I don’t get to suck your dick, there will be hell to pay.”

Steve laughed and kissed the soft skin of his belly showing where his shirt had ridden up. “Oh? What will you do?”

“Throw a temper tantrum,” Tony said easily. “I’ll make you go grocery shopping alone. And I’ll probably threaten to withhold sex but I don’t know how well that would go over.” He held out his hand and Steve took it as he climbed onto the bed. “I will totally eat popsicles in as obscene a manner as possible. And I’ll do it while flirting with Johnny Storm.”

“I wouldn’t last five minutes,” Steve assured him and it was pretty much the truth. Tony could do anything obscenely if he set his mind to it and Johnny Storm had made it perfectly clear that if Steve ever failed to deliver he’d be happy to step in. If Tony ever actually ate a popsicle in front of that kid, he’d probably combust. But not before Steve tossed him out a window and ripped all of Tony’s clothes off.

“Damn right you wouldn’t,” Tony said.

Steve straddled Tony’s chest, his dick bobbing slightly in the air as he settled.

Tony ran his hands over Steve’s thighs and up to his hips. “Babe.”

“Yeah?”

Tony traced his tongue over his lips until they were both wet and glistening. “I said ‘fuck me’.”

Steve’s hips jerked almost of their own volition and he had to brace himself with one hand on the mattress beside Tony’s head. “Shit,” he said with feeling and when Tony licked his lips again, “Oh god.”

“Curse for me,” Tony said. “You know I love it when you get all dirty for me.” He dug his fingers into Steve’s hips as he suckled at the head of Steve’s cock. “I want to hear you while you fuck my mouth, Steven.”

“ _Fuck_.” Steve bent almost double as Tony swallowed his dick, working him in until Steve’s could feel himself throbbing against the tight heat of Tony’s throat and Tony’s nose pressed against the sensitive skin of his groin. “Fuck, Tony.” He curled both fists in the bedspread because it was the only thing keeping him from grabbing Tony by the hair and pounding into him.

The angle was wrong for them to keep this up long. Even if Steve thought he stood a chance at making this last when Tony was doing his level best to turn Steve inside out, he couldn’t. Tony’s neck and shoulders would be aching in just a few moments. “Baby,” he said, ignoring the retaliatory pinch it earned him. “I’m not – I’m going to-”

Tony dragged his nails over Steve’s hip and dug into the skin of his ass. Steve bucked in his grip a little, forced his cock a little deeper down Tony’s throat. “Fuck,” he said again and was rewarded with a gentle pat. “Fuck, yes, Tony, pinch me if you want me to stop, just _fuck_.” He braced himself on both arms and rolled his hips, shuddering as Tony swallowed around him. “You are-” He pulled back a little, watched as his dick slid through Tony’s lips, flushed and slick with Tony’ spit. “You are so _fucking_ good at this.”

Steve pushed back in, careful, but not slow, and almost came right then and there. “I could do this all goddamn _day_ , I could. God, Tony.” He uncurled one fist from the comforter and cradled the back of Tony’s head, holding him in place as he rolled his hips, fucking Tony’s throat in shallow, quick thrusts. “Please, please, fuck, Tony, I want-” He sounded ridiculous to his own ears and he could feel his face flushing with embarrassment but he was pretty sure that was half the reason Tony liked it so much. “I want to come inside you,” he said breathlessly, his face so warm he thought he might explode. “Fuck, Tony, please, I want you I want-” His throat caught on a strangled gasp and he forced himself to be still as he came down Tony’s throat.

Tony’s hands stroked his thighs as he pulled away.

“God,” Steve said with feeling as he very carefully rolled to the side.

Tony laughed and rolled with him, tangling their legs together, Steve’s bare ones caught between Tony’s. “Flatterer.”

Steve’s groin pressed against the fly of Tony’s jeans, still a little too sensitive for any kind of pressure to feel exactly good, but then Tony kissed him and he forgot everything else but the way he tasted in Tony’s mouth.

“God, I love brunch,” Steve said and he swallowed Tony’s laughter.

****

They flagged down a taxi outside the mansion because neither of them felt like driving and Tony claimed Steve had fucked him much to thoroughly to expect him to walk. “Sears, please,” Steve said as he slid into the backseat beside Tony.

Tony leaned back against the seat, his hands in his pockets and his sunglasses perched at the end of his nose. His lips were red and a little swollen, his hair was once again a tousled mess. He looked lazy and comfortable and happy, and Steve slid a little closer on the seat until they were pressed against each other from knee to shoulder. Tony took that as an invitation and let his head rest on Steve’s shoulder as the taxi pulled away from the curb.

Steve slid an arm over his shoulders. “Hey, so there was something I wanted to talk to you about-”

The taxi driver tapped the glass divider. “You guys want Newport Center, or the one in the Bronx?” He glanced at them in the rearview mirror but didn’t seem to care that they were basically cuddling in his backseat.

“Bronx,” Steve said, because it was further away but Tony would pout for the rest of the day if Steve made him go to New Jersey.

“You got it, Cap.” The driver saluted him with two fingers before returning his attention to traffic.

Tony tipped his head back on Steve’s shoulder. “What did you want to talk about?”

Steve leaned down and kissed the little furrow between his brows. “It can wait.”

****

Steve paid the taxi driver and sent him on his way, though Tony pouted and made noises about having him wait. There was no reason they couldn’t afford to leave the meter running while they shopped, but Steve couldn’t justify the excess to himself. “We can always get another cab.”

“You’re just trying to trick me into walking back,” Tony said. “I am not walking home from the Bronx with an armful of tacky bedsheets.” He made a face at Steve over his glasses. “Sheets that aren’t for _me_ ,” he added, and there was a moment of genuine annoyance in his voice.

“You didn’t have to come,” Steve pointed out. He stepped past a woman pushing a stroller. “Look, if you really don’t want to be here-”

“Ignore me,” Tony said. He shoved his sunglasses back into place, shielding his eyes from Steve’s gaze. “You know how I feel about…” he waggled his fingers at their general surroundings. “ _Stores_.”

“I promise next time I’ll plan ahead and we can buy everything off the internet, just the way you like,” Steve said. He nudged Tony’s arm with his elbow and was rewarded with a little smile.

“Mock me all you like,” Tony said. “My way is more efficient. We’d have bought the damn things and been back in bed by now if you had just let me buy them and have them shipped.”

“You do make a compelling point,” Steve said.

He dragged Tony away from the hardware section because his partner would waste hours in there, complaining about the quality of the tools and then buying several dozen anyway, and then dragged him away from the lingerie section where Tony made a point of holding up a transparent teddy and making waggly eyes at Steve. It had a swatch of American flag where the lady’s breasts were supposed to go and Steve could feel his face turning an unhealthy shade of red as he tugged Tony away before he could hold up the matching panties.

“Calm down,” Tony said, patting Steve’s hand where it was wrapped around Tony’s upper arm. “I was just joking. That thing was nowhere near your size, anyway.”

“Tony,” Steve said in what he hoped was a sufficiently prohibitive tone.

“I really like Jan’s stockings and garters idea anyway,” Tony said. “With a pair of high heels – finding them in your size will be a bitch, but I know a place that will custom-make them for us. No teddy, though that’s not really the look I’m going for. I think I’d rather you bare from the waist up-”

“Tony.”

“With a thong. Or – no. Lace panties. Just a little bit of frill to go with the garters, but basically see-through so I can see the big guy there all hot and bothered and straining to be let loose-”

“ _Tony_.”

Tony smiled at him. “Sure you wouldn’t rather do this online?”

“You are a menace,” Steve said firmly. He didn’t release Tony until they were standing in front of a wall display full of different sets of sheets. “Just. Stand there. And don’t talk about lingerie.”

“Can I talk about-”

“No,” Steve said firmly.

Tony sulked a little, but turned his attention to the plastic wrapped linens. “These are horrifying,” he announced as he examined a pair of pale yellow pillowcases.

They looked like perfectly fine sheets to Steve, but he also had to admit that they spent their nights in Tony’s bed for a reason and that reason was a king-sized mattress with sheets that cost more than Steve made in a week. “They’re fine, Tony. It’s not like you’re going to have to subject yourself to them.”

Tony flinched.

He jerked like Steve had hit him and in the moment it took Steve to process that and try to understand what had caused it, Tony squared his shoulders and turned to face him.

“Look,” Tony said, and he was bracing himself for a blow even as he spoke, shoulders squared and eyes hidden behind the shades. “If you’re trying to dump me gently, I’d really rather you just get it over with. Don’t make me do this.”

“What?” Steve barely recognized that he was still holding a package of sheets in his hands, the plastic crinkling beneath his fingers as his hands clenched. “I’m not breaking up with you! Where did – why would you _think_ that?”

“I don’t know, Steve.” Tony dropped the pillow cases he’d been examining back onto the display. “Maybe because you kept saying things like ‘Tony we should talk’ or ‘Tony I really think we should…’ and then trailing off and looking uncomfortable before changing the subject. Maybe,” he said, his voice starting to rise dangerously before he wrested it back under control, “it had something to do with you announcing in front of all our friends that you were going to buy sheets I didn’t need to like for a bed I’d never have to sleep in. A bed you haven’t slept in for six months.” He paused and swallowed heavily, his hands clenching at his sides. “Why are you – I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want you to sleep anywhere else.”

Steve tossed the sheets back onto the display and reached up to cup Tony’s face, tangling his fingers in Tony’s hair. “I’m not leaving you,” he said. He pressed his lips against Tony’s temple and breathed for a long moment. “I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed Tony’s cheek, the corner of his mouth and didn’t think about all the people in Tony’s life who had taught him to expect something like this from someone who was supposed to love him. “I didn’t think you would come to that conclusion. That’s not what I meant at all. I’m sorry. I’m not leaving.”

Tony slid his arms around Steve’s chest almost hesitantly, fingers curling into the thin material of Steve’s t-shirt. He was still tense, but Steve could feel it easing out of him slowly, and he knew Tony was already trying to find a way to play down how worried he’d been. Steve wouldn’t let him get away with it, though, so he just waited, holding Tony’s face in his hands while his lover considered his words.

Tony exhaled slowly and leaned back until Steve let him go, dropping his hands to rest at Tony’s waist. “Okay. I’m going to ask you a question I should have asked before I jumped to conclusions, all right?”

“Absolutely,” Steve said.

“Why do you need to buy sheets for a bed you haven’t used in months?”

“Oil pastels,” Steve said promptly.

“Oil pastels,” Tony echoed doubtfully.

“Yes. I left them out on the bed a few days ago when we got that emergency call from the Fantastic Four.” Steve shrugged, feeling a little sheepish about it still. “I forgot they were there and when I was packing I dropped a pretty heavy box on top of them and ended up ruining the sheets.”

“Oil pastels,” Tony repeated. “I think you just gave me the worst heart attack of my life – and I’ve had _three_ – over oil pastels. Wait.” He leaned back and narrowed his eyes at Steve. “Packing?”

“Um,” Steve said, feeling his face flush with heat. “Not – I wasn’t – I mean, I kind of _was_ , but.” He sighed. “So that thing I wanted us to talk about?” he said. “I want us to move in together.”

“I swear to God,” Tony said. “And people say I’m bad at this relationship stuff. Is that what all the awkward half-sentences have been about?”

Steve flexed his hands on Tony’s hips. “Yeah. Luke and Jessica are going to have a baby soon.”

Tony narrowed his eyes even more. “I’m not ready to have the kids talk, Steve.”

“No, no, I only meant-” The words caught in his throat as he stared at his partner’s face. “So… does that mean you would be willing to talk about kids later?”

“Much later,” Tony said warily. “Much, much later.”

Steve tugged at his waist, pulled Tony against his chest. “But someday?”

“Yeah, someday. If you want,” he added.

“I would like to. Someday. Talk about it.” Steve almost couldn’t breathe through the tight bubble of wonder in his chest. “I thought that kids might be off the table for us.”

Tony shrugged a little and ducked his head against Steve’s chest. “I’m not saying I think it’s a good idea,” Tony said slowly. “But I’d be willing to talk about it. Someday.”

Steve pressed a kiss to the top of Tony’s hair. “Yeah? You and me?”

“I’d be a terrible father,” Tony said.

“I disagree,” Steve said. He could feel the stupid grin on his face, knew Tony could hear it in his voice, but he didn’t care. “You’d be amazing.”

“But not right now,” Tony said. “Right? I’m not – I’d be terrible now.”

“Still disagree,” Steve said, brushing his kips against Tony’s temple. “But now’s not the time. Maybe someday later, if we’re both ready. It means a lot to me,” he said quietly, “that you’re even thinking about it. There’s no rush here, you know that, right? No ultimatums. Not from me. Not about this.”

Tony let out a slow breath that was a little shaky despite everything. “Okay. All right. So Luke and Jess’s baby has something to do with you trying to give me a heart attack?”

Steve tightened his arms around Tony in a quick hug before pulling back a little so he could look him in the eyes. “Their room is pretty much the smallest one in the mansion since they were among the last to join the team. And with the baby and a crib and a changing table and all the toys and an extra dresser-” he stopped himself from listing every single thing they would need, aware that his nerves were showing. “There’s barely going to be room to breathe in there, let along space for Danny and he practically lives there when he’s in town.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Tony said thoughtfully. “I could call the contractor have them convert one of the third floor social areas into a living space. The plumbing might be an issue but – no, the little library on the fourth floor has a wet bar, I’d just need to have them install fixtures and knock out part of the wall-”

“Or they could have my room?” Steve suggested.

“And you wanted us to move in together,” Tony finished.

“My room is three times as big as theirs,” Steve said. “And it’s got that little sitting room attached-”

Tony frowned. “There’s no sitting room.”

“Sure there is.” Steve linked his hands together behind Tony’s back. “The little room next to the bathroom.”

“That’s a closet, Steve. A walk-in closet.”

“It has two windows and a couch, Tony. It’s a room.”

“A room you hang clothes in.”

Steve gave Tony the same indulgent smile he always felt overcome him when Tony was being ridiculous. “Well, regardless, it could serve as a nursery for the baby. I think it would be a good fit.”

“Well, aside from the problems inherent in making a baby sleep in a closet, what’s the problem?”

“I got halfway through packing up what’s left of my things when I realized I’d never discussed any of this with you. I figured you wouldn’t mind if I gave Luke and Jessica my room, but-”

“Avengers Mansion is all of our home,” Tony said. “You guys don’t need my permission to trade rooms.”

“But I don’t want to trade rooms with them. I want to give them my room. I want to turn their room into a guest room. I want to move in with you.” He offered Tony a half-smile. “For that, I really did need your permission.”

“Most of your stuff is in my room already,” Tony pointed out. “Aside from missions and business trips we’ve spent every night together for at least the last six months. And you were spending more nights with me than not for months before that.”

Steve grinned. “I thought about just slipping the rest of my stuff in and hoping you didn’t object, but that didn’t seem like the best way to start a life together.”

“Is that what we’re doing?” Tony asked. His voice was hoarse and he looked a little light-headed as he looked up with Steve with something like panic in his eyes. “Starting a life together?”

“Yes,” Steve said with smile. “Slowly and carefully. We have been for a while.” He pressed his cheek against Tony’s for a moment. “For at least the last six months, I think.”

“Kids,” Tony said faintly.

“Just talking,” Steve said firmly. “Later. Months, _years_ later. When we’re both ready. And we might decide no. No rushing. No ultimatums. I’m in this with _you_ , not the theoretical children we may or may not have one day.”

“We’re moving in together,” Tony said all in a rush. “I mean yes. Yes. I want you to do that. Get your stuff and – today. Steve. Move in today.”

“Okay.” Steve held him a little tighter. “Are you going to help me pack?”

“Oh yeah.” Tony smiled at Steve over the top of his shades, his blue eyes bright and laughing. “Also, we totally need to have sex in your old room at least one last time before we give it to Luke and Jess.”

“Forget the sheets,” Steve said as he leaned into Tony’s embrace. “Let’s go home.”

****

“We forgot the groceries,” Tony said breathlessly.

Steve hummed a little as he stroked a hand down Tony’s stomach. “It was Jan’s turn anyway.”

Tony trembled as Steve settled inside of him. “But you-” he gasped as Steve wrapped his hand around his cock. “Shit. You said you had plans for dinner.”

“Hmm.” Steve kissed his throat. “I was going to cook a nice dinner and ask you to move in with me.”

“Yeah?” Tony scraped his nails down Steve’s back. “Sounds romantic.”

“That was the idea,” Steve said dryly. He kissed Tony’s nipple. “Romantic candle-lit dinner. Linens department at Sears. Same thing.”

“Got the job done,” Tony said. He rocked his hips against Steve’s, encouraging him to move. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you don’t move I’m going to kick you out of bed.”

Steve chuckled and leaned down to kiss Tony’s mouth. “Liar.”

The room was dim, with only the light from the bathroom to see by. Most of Steve’s things were gone now, hauled upstairs earlier in the day by himself and Tony and a small group of enthusiastic volunteers. All that remained was a few boxes of things he was donating to charity, an armchair and bedside table that had come with the room, and the bed itself.

He had Tony spread out across the bed, the pastel-stained sheets bunched up on the floor where they couldn’t get in the way. The mattress seemed small to him after so many months spent in Tony’s luxurious bed, and it creaked a little with every thrust.

“It’s probably good we didn’t spend a lot of nights down here,” Tony said. He hooked one leg around Steve’s waist and urged him to move faster. “Logan’s got the room next door and I think he’d have killed us eventually.”

Steve grinned and thrust a little harder. “You think he’s in there right now? Listening. Knowing what I’m doing to you with every little squeak?”

“Everyone knows what you do to me,” Tony said earnestly. “And it’s got nothing to do with old bedsprings. Steve. _Everyone_ can see what you do to me. I’m not even the same man I was before you.”

Steve dropped his head against Tony’s chest. “Tony,” he said desperately. “God.”

Tony’s arms wrapped around him. “Hey, but seriously. You know you’re like the third best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Steve laughed a little as he stilled his hips and waited, held as deep inside Tony as he could get. “Do I want to know what the first two are?”

“Being born,” Tony said. “It seems obvious, though until I met you I confess I didn’t always consider that a good thing.” He said the words lightly, but the way his fingers shook a little against Steve’s skin gave him away. “And the armor. Being Iron Man. That – Iron Man made me a person you could love. So yeah. And you. I could never have imagined you.” He dropped his head back against the mattress. “Jesus, if you don’t move I’m gonna die.”

“Language,” Steve said. He caught one of Tony’s nipples between his teeth and tugged. “Put your legs around my waist.”

“Okay?” Tony hooked his other leg over the one already gripping the back of Steve’s thighs. “What-”

Steve slid one hand under the small of Tony’s back and held him close as he flipped them over until Tony was on top. His lover gasped as his own weight shoved Steve even deeper inside and Tony grabbed at him as Steve gripped Tony’s hips and began to fuck him.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Tony gasped the word over and over like a mantra as Steve lifted him off his cock only to drag him back down with a rough snap. “Holy mother-fucking-”

“I did promise to manhandle you,” Steve said. His fingers were digging into the flesh at Tony’s waist, and he knew there would be bruises later, bruises that would make Tony’s eyes dark with arousal when they twinged during dinner or while they were in the gym. He watched his cock slide out of Tony’s body with a slick, wet sound, and then yanked him back down, snapping his hips up at the same time. Tony threw his head back and howled at the ceiling and yeah. It was probably really good that they hadn’t done this here very often.

Tony’s hands scrabbled at Steve’s wrists as his breath came in ever-shortening pants. His cock was dark red and dripping against his stomach. He wasn’t even trying to control their movements, content to let Steve guide his body toward climax, trusting him to take care of them both.

It had taken Steve months to realize that Tony wasn’t like that with anyone else. That trust and sex weren’t two things that he naturally put together. The realization had never really left him, making him careful and tender even when Tony would have let him be rough and careless.

Rough could be good, too. In the morning when Steve’s hands were outlined on Tony’s skin in pale violet bruises, Steve would kiss every inch of the marks he’d left on Tony’s body. Rough was fine. But not careless. Not with Tony. Never with Tony.

“Come for me,” he said, driving his hips up into Tony’s heat. “Now, Tony. I want to see you.”

Tony blinked down at him with eyes so dilated they were nearly black. He licked lips that were still kiss-bruised and swollen from earlier. “Make me.”

Steve surged upright, one hand releasing Tony’s hip to grab him by the neck and pull him down into a kiss. He crushed their mouths together, drinking from Tony’s like a drowning man desperate for air. “Come for me,” he said again, pressing the words into Tony’s mouth, making him swallow them. “I want to feel you come on my cock. And then I’m going to fuck you while you gasp for breath.”

He couldn’t really thrust in that position, but he rocked his hips, grinding his cock against Tony’s prostate while his lover keened against his mouth. “And I’m going to do it again tomorrow. And the day after that. And every fucking day for the rest of our lives together, I am going to make you feel so good, Tony, I swear to God, I promise you.” He was aware of Tony’s hands cupping his face, the taste of salt on his lover’s lips. “Come for me. I want to hold you while you come.”

Tony’s lips parted in a silent cry as he shook almost violently, his climax spilling between them. He sobbed against Steve’s mouth and Steve covered Tony’s mouth with his own, kissed the breath from his lungs while Tony clung to him.

“Perfect,” he said softly, long moments later when Tony’s chest didn’t heave quiet so desperately for air. “You’re perfect. So beautiful. So good.”

“Steve.” Tony’s voice hitched and almost broke on his name.

Steve kissed him carefully as he lowered Tony down to the mattress. “So sweet,” he said, rocking his hips a little. Tony whimpered as Steve moved inside of him, and Steve drank the breathy little sounds down. “So mine,” he said firmly, not moving his head, speaking the words straight into Tony’s lungs, making him take them in. “Mine. For the rest of our lives, Tony.” He kissed him again, deeply, and began to thrust.

“Yours,” Tony said against his lips. He was still breathless, and his hands were still holding Steve’s head, fingers combing through his hair. He tasted like salt but his mouth was curved in a smile and his body opened for Steve’s like a welcome, held him so tight. “And mine.” He traced his fingers over Steve’s cheek, traced the line of his jaw. He sounded almost hesitant at first, but when he spoke again his voice was firm. “Mine.”

Steve pressed his forehead to Tony’s, listening to the bed creak beneath them with every thrust, the sound of their bodies coming together, the sweet sound of Tony’s voice. “Yours,” he said and he had to push the word out through lips that felt almost numb. He slid his arms beneath Tony’s back and held him close as he pushed into him for the last time, orgasm ripping through his blood like electricity.

He pressed his face against Tony’s throat when it was over and breathed in the scent of sweat and sex until he could swallow past the lump in his throat.

“We really should have put down a towel or something,” Tony said finally. He was running his hands up and down Steve’s back in light, calming strokes while he waited for Steve to get his breath back.

“I won’t tell Luke if you don’t,” Steve said. He kissed Tony’s throat, suckling at the soft flesh beneath his jaw, deliberately leaving a mark. Tony snorted, but didn’t make him stop.

Steve pushed himself up onto his elbows until he could look Tony in the eyes. His partner looked a little pale and a little red around the eyes, but he was smiling as he looked up at Steve. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Steve dipped his head for a kiss as he carefully pulled out of Tony. “I love you,” he said as he settled back on top of him.

“I love you, too.”

Steve nuzzled at his chest. “I’m not going to stop, either. I need you to believe me.” He smiled a little wryly. “It’s okay if it takes some time. I know what I’m asking you. But I need to know that you want to believe me.”

“I do.” Tony cradled his head in both hands. “I really, really want to. I’m gonna work on the faith thing, I promise.”

“Good enough for me.” Steve caught Tony’s chin in his hand. “Now, the next time I screw something up, promise you won’t immediately assume I’m leaving you.”

Tony blinked a few times and didn’t quite meet Steve’s eyes. “Sorry?” he offered and the flush creeping up his neck was turning his face a rosy hue.

"Even if I wanted to break up with you - which I _don’t_ ,” Steve said firmly because Tony seemed to need this spelled out for him today. “Even if I did, for some reason, lose my mind and want to give up the man I love most in the world, I wouldn’t be so cruel as to drag it out like that. And we’d have talked about it beforehand.”

Tony looked at him then, a sheepish smile tugging the corners of his mouth up. “It’s messed up if I say that the idea of fair warning is really reassuring to me, isn’t it?”

"Well, a little, yeah. Probably." Steve slid a hand over the back of Tony’s neck, curling his fingers in the soft, short hair at his nape. "But if that’s what you need from me. Look, if I ever even think of ending this it’ll only be because the couples’ therapy didn’t help. I’m not the kind of guy who just walks away from a commitment to someone I love. I think you know that."

"I know that," Tony said. "I just - you know. There’s an exception to every rule."

And Tony would think that about himself, would he? That whatever failing he imagined Steve couldn’t forgive or tolerate would be so terrible, that Tony himself would have so little to offer as a partner, that Steve would see no problem walking away.

Steve couldn’t imagine it. He suspected it might go too far in the opposite direction. They’d fought before, certainly. Tony had done things that Steve didn’t understand or approve of, driven him to a fury and left him shaken and despairing and it had never once shaken that core of love that curled deep in Steve’s chest. He knew he’d forgive Tony almost anything because almost anything was better than losing him.

"I certainly wouldn’t be so cruel as to make you buy me sheets for my new lover’s bed," Steve said and this time Tony turned bright red, his skin warm beneath Steve’s.

"It was a misunderstanding," Tony said. "Anyone could have made it."

That was probably not true.

Steve shook his head. “Tell me.”

Tony swallowed hard. “You love me. You’re not going to leave me. And you’re going to give me screaming intense orgasms every day for the rest of our lives.”

“I knew you were paying attention,” Steve said.

****

“You didn’t have to come,” Steve said as he strode past racks of ladies clothing. “I know how busy you are, especially after skipping work to go shopping with me yesterday, too.”

Tony kept pace, more or less instinctively dodging shoppers as he exchanged a series of increasingly terse emails with Pepper. “Well, honestly, we sort of owe Jess and Luke new sheets at this point. And God only knows what you’d come home with if left to your own devices. Patriotic sheets. Or camo. Actually-” He paused in in act of critiquing one of the programmers reports that Pepper had forwarded to his phone, “-that might not be terrible. You could go all super-soldier. I could be the stranded American tourist, held hostage by guerrillas and only too happy to show my gratitude to my big, heroic rescuer.”

Steve bumped his shoulder against Tony’s. “I don’t need tacky sheets to throw you down and make love to you,” he said.

Tony swallowed around the tightness in his throat. “That’s very good to know,” he said, ignoring the raised eyebrow they were getting from the girl behind the make-up counter. “What do you need?”

“A word,” Steve said. He smiled at Tony, easy and warm, no embarrassment anywhere, and Tony could kiss him, he really could, this guy who could stammer and blush over a dirty joke, but spoke of making love without batting an eye. “A glance. Honestly, Tony, I don’t need much of an excuse to love you. Most days the only thing stopping me at any given moment is an audience.”

“Audiences can be fun,” Tony said.

“No.” Steve’s voice was amused. “Not for you. You’re all mine.”

Tony licked his lips. “What if I said the word right now?”

Steve leaned over to press a quick kiss to the corner of Tony’s mouth. “The changing rooms here have security cameras,” he said regretfully.

“Oh,” Tony said faintly. “Remind me when we get home?”

Steve squeezed his hand.


End file.
